It Takes Two To Tango
by Burg Gurl
Summary: Written for Saphirus and her picture called "Dance with me" . Set in 7th year, Golden trio and rest of year are taking Social Interactions class. Tears and a Tango! Please Read and REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

This little two shot (wanted to be one, but I was in a hurry to copy it down by hand) was written for Saphirus from Deviantart

This little two shot (wanted to be one, but I was in a hurry to copy it down by hand) was written for Saphirus from . You can see the picture and her profile with the links on my profile here since I couldn't get the links to work here with in the story. Hope you enjoy the picture as much as I did. I wrote a fan fiction on it I liked it so much! Hehe enjoy! Following and final chapter should be here by tomorrow, if at all possible. Oh and I was given permission by the artist to write a story about it ).

**It Takes Two to Tango**

**Chapter 1**

"Why do we even have to take this class?" Ron whined for the thousandth time as he walked next to Harry and Hermione with his hands firmly in his pockets. It was a warm evening in late April and Ron couldn't help but look outside, thinking of other things that he could be doing.

"Because, Ron, Professor McGonagall thinks that a Social Interactions class will help our generation to be better rounded adults when we leave here now that the threat of danger is gone. She believes that since we had been living in fear for so long, most of the students have forgotten how to be proper ladies and gentlemen. How many times do I have to remind you of this? We have been going to this same class in the same classroom twice a week after dinner since we came back from Christmas break!" Hermione said, finally becoming thoroughly annoyed with Ron's constant and persistent whining.

Ron burped loudly, pausing to listen as it echoed off the walls of the corridor, smiling with pride before turning to Hermione. "But Hermione, I _am_ perfectly well civilized and sociable."

"I would definitely agree with that statement, if you belonged to a herd of baboons! You may as well shave your arse and join them. You look enough like them as it is, you may even get a nice, warm welcome." Draco Malfoy jeered as he passed the Golden Trio with Grabbe and Goyle following him closely, guffawing stupidly. Pansy brought up the rear, her _puppy_-dog eyes pointed straight at Draco as if he were the North Star in the sky. As the four of them passed, Hermione could have sworn that she saw drool trailing from the mouth of the other girl, dribbling off her chin.

"Shove off, Malfoy." Harry said as Draco smirked, continuing on his way.

"Why couldn't you have been chosen as Head Boy, Harry? You would have been a much better choice than that arse." Ron said grumpily as they reached the door to the classroom where they could hear students on the other side chatting animatedly.

"Because I was never a prefect, remember? Why didn't you get Head Boy?" Harry asked.

"Bad grades, I'm sure."

"Well, if you had studied more, like I have suggested for the past seven years, I'm sure you would have had more of a chance." Hermione sighed, sounding more like a mother than ever before.

"Yeah, well, not everyone can be like you, Hermione. Everyone in our year knew you would be Head Girl since first year. We would have been surprised if you hadn't."

"No need to sound nasty, Ron. It's time for class, shall we go in?" Hermione said, trying to calm her temper toward Ron's attitude. After hearing the same thing for several years, her nerves were wearing thin.

Walking into the classroom, they noticed that they were clearly the last to arrive. Professor McGonagall was standing at the head of the classroom, staring at the door, waiting on them patiently.

"Now that both of our Head students have arrived, let us get started. Hermione, Mr. Malfoy, please join me up here? I will need your assistance with this minor demonstration for tonight's lesson." Looking at their Headmistress questioningly, Hermione handed her school bag to harry and, along with Draco, walked up to Professor McGonagall. Turning back to the class, she continued.

"Today marks the first day in the course that I will be teaching you how to perform different dancing styles. And to add a visual, our Head Boy and Head Girl will be posing as our examples." When she had finished, Hermione and Draco both turned to their Professor, mouths agape.

"You can't be serious! Professor! Aren't there any other choices? I'm sure that Pansy would be more than willing to dance with this rude, inconsid… I-I mean, with the Head Boy." Hermione said quickly, begging the professor to see reason.

"No, I'm sorry Miss, Granger. You two are the Head students. It's your duty to set a good example for all the students assembled here tonight and all the other students around the school." Professor McGonagall said in an undertone. Raising her voice slightly, she added, "Now if you two would, please, go to the center of the classroom, we shall get started.

"The first dance that I shall be teaching you during this part of the course is called the Tango. The dance it self is very simple once you get the hang of it. The first thing you do is…"

"I hope you know how to tango, Granger." Draco whispered in Hermione's ear as they were guided into the beginning position by their professor who was talking to the rest of the class.

"It's been a while, Malfoy, but I think I can keep up with you of all people. After all, I've been able to meet you word for word since the beginning of first year. How should dancing be any different?"

After ten minutes of explanation of techniques, positions and a brief history of the dance, McGonagall told Draco and Hermione that they may begin as she turned to the phonograph and placed the needle on the record.

As the music started, Draco and Hermione suddenly found themselves in a trance-like state, beginning to dance feverishly to the music as if they had been dancing together for many years and it came to them as naturally as breathing.

"Hey Ron," Harry nudged Ron whom had began snoozing next to him.

"Huh? What?"

"Look at Hermione and Malfoy." Harry pointed to the pair with his head. "Have you got the feeling that they've done this before? I know I sure do." Ron watched intently. He really wanted to disagree with Harry, but the truth was that Harry was right. The dancing pair moved with more grace and fervor than most couples who were new to the dance should.

"So why were you staring at me, looking so upset, during lunch today, Draco?" Hermione whispered in Draco's ear as he dipped her back, pulling her right knee to his waist. Arching her back, he slowly pulled her up, tracing a path from her mid sternum, up between her breasts and up to her neck before snapping her up into a standing position close enough to feel each other's heavy breathing on the other's lips, before continuing with the heated dance.

"You haven't talked to me in weeks, why wouldn't I be a little upset?" Draco whispered back as they stood straight up and twirled before moving towards the other end of the room.

"Don't you remember why we haven't talked in so long?"

**--FLASHBACK—**

"What was that about?!" Hermione said in a high-pitched tone one afternoon in the head dorms. Draco was leaning against the door frame to the stairs that lead to his bedroom on the opposite side of the common room.

"I have no idea what you mean." Draco said innocently, crossing his arms casually.

"Oh, please! Don't give me that bullshit, Draco. I saw the way you look at other girls. You always look at other girls. I'm supposed to be your girlfriend!" Hermione's voice was rising in volume, her hands gesticulating wildly.

"What do you expect?! We aren't telling anyone, due to your wishes. Aren't I supposed to be available? Or at least pretend to be?" Draco asked, shrugging as he caught her eyes with his.

"That doesn't mean you can't show some kind of restraint!"

"I can't help it; it's a habit that I was born with. It's not that easy to get rid of, I can assure you."

Hermione looked at Draco for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "I can't do this any more, Draco. I'm tired of thinking that you only have eyes for other girls that aren't me. I know I shouldn't be jealous, but it's something that I can't seem to stop either."

"Well, what do you suggest I do about it?"

"I don't care. I think we both need a break. We obviously have some things to think about."

Draco paused, looking at Hermione as if he hadn't heard her right. "Wait, what?"

"I think we need a break…from each other. Seeing you eyeing all those other girls like eye candy, it's making my grades suffer. I'm so scared of losing you to other girls that I can't concentrate and it's driving me crazy! We have been dating for two years now, and I've treasured every moment that we have spent together, especially when you taught me to dance last summer. I had wanted to learn for the longest time, and you made that dream come true." Hermione paused to smile sadly at the memories before she finished. "However, I think that it's time for us to take a break from each other so that we can spend time figuring out what we both want."

"But…Hermione!" Draco said, looking at her with wild eyes. Hermione almost had second thoughts when she saw the scared, tearful look on his face. She had to take a moment to shake herself.

"I'm sorry, Draco." Was all she said as she cast her eyes down and turned to go up the stone steps to her dorm, unshed tears in her eyes.

**--END FLASHBACK—**

Seeing the understanding dawning in his silvery eyes and knowing that he remembered, Hermione looked down. "So you do remember? I couldn't speak to you because I was unsure how I felt about you being surrounded by other girls because I couldn't even see you through all the shit that were fawning over you and through the clouds of perfume. Always being touched or groped by them, watching them try to seduce you…"Hermione whispered sadly as she and Draco danced from one side of the classroom to another.

Draco huffed. "Here you are, getting upset at me for a few little things that meant nothing to me! What about you? You were always letting Weasley flirt shamelessly with you. It's the same thing every day, two months ago and still today. How do you think I felt when I had to watch that?" Draco whispered back fiercely.

"You can't be serious! I just do that to keep you safe! It's not like I enjoy any of it!"

"Keep me safe? I hardly see how you flirting with another guy would keep me safe. Especially with that filth of a human; and you call him your best friend." Draco scoffed under his breath and frowning at his dance partner.

"Don't you understand or remember anything that I've told you about my friends in the past two years that we have been dating? I told you I didn't want to tell my friends about us because I didn't think it was a good idea just yet. The real reason I didn't want to tell them just yet is because if Ron found out, he has the type of temper that would lead him to hurting or even killing you!"

"I can hold him off. We both know I'm smarter than that sack of rocks for brains and have twice the strength." Draco spat.

"I won't deny any of that," Hermione added, tears forming in her eyes at the tone in Draco's voice. "But I don't want to risk your safety!"

"Why?"

"Because"

"Because, why?"

"Because… Because I love you, that's why!"


	2. Chapter 2

This little two shot was done with the inspiration attained from the picture "Dance with Me" by Saphirus on . With her permission, this story was created. The links to both her profile and the picture are on my profile.

Disclaimer: Nope, none of this is mine… the plot maybe, but I only came up with it because of the picture… )

Chapter 2

"Because why?"

"Because…Because I love you, that's why!" Hermione shouted, tears falling freely down her cheeks. A moment later, she gasped and put her hands up to her mouth in surprise at her outburst. Looking around, she suddenly realized that they had stopped dancing and were standing five feet apart in a completely silent classroom, all eyes on her and Draco. Emotions becoming too overwhelming for Hermione, she lowered her hands slowly and looked tearfully at Draco before turning on her heel and ran out of the classroom, the echo of her heels clicking on the ground growing silent as she ran further and further away, trying desperately to distance herself from her embarrassment at her declaration.

Once he had gotten over the shock of Hermione's outburst that had just been delivered to his system, Draco blinked a few times before looking at the door which Hermione had just run through, moving toward the door himself.

"Where do you think you're going, Malfoy? You aren't going after Hermione." Harry said as he and Ron cut Draco off before he could leave the classroom, crossing their arms in an attempt to look menacing.

"Move." Draco growled dangerously, glaring at the two boys blocking his path.

"And why should we do that, ferret boy? What are you going to do to her? Put her under another Imperious curse most likely." Ron said as he stared down at the blond Slytherin, having considerable height advantage over the already tall man before him.

Draco shook his head, giving up on his strong façade and looking at Harry and Ron, pleading to them with his eyes for them to see reason. "Please let me pass, I have to find Hermione!" Ron and Harry both looked at Draco, dumbfounded, as they moved aside to let him pass.

Turning back to face each other, Ron was the first to speak. "Did Malfoy just practically beg us?"

"Yeah, he sounded serious. I found myself wanting to get out of his way, else he curse me." Harry said, shaking his head. Ron nodded in agreement.

"Hermione?" Draco chanted over and over again as he walked up and down every corridor, combing the castle. After searching every place he could think of, Draco started moaning sadly, "Hermione, come back to me!" He had searched the library, the Head Dorms, the Kitchen, even going to such a length as bruising his knuckles on the portrait of the Fat Lady that lead to the Gryffindor Common room, asking the second year that answered if she had seen the Head Girl come in, only to receive a shake of her head and a giggle in return. Becoming increasingly worried, Draco slid into a sitting position against the wall next to the portrait, head in his hands, trying with all his might to remember some place she might have gone that he hadn't checked yet, some place where she would want to be alone. Thinking hard for a moment, Draco thought of one place he hadn't checked yet. It was the place she would escape to that not even her closest friends knew she would run to- the same place where he had found her crying during the Christmas break of their fifth year.

Draco himself had gone up there frequently to be alone, never meeting anyone up there before. This time, however, he had been running away to hide from Pansy who had become impossible; always wanting to hold his hand or sit in his lap, kissing his neck or placing her hands in other places. Draco had always found the Astronomy Tower relaxing because he could be up there where the breeze was strong enough to clear his head when he couldn't go to the Quidditch pitch. Upon reaching the top of the tower, he heard soft sobs coming from the other side of the closed door. Opening the door quietly, he found Hermione wrapped up tight in her cloak, sitting on one of the benches that went along the low tower wall, crying profusely into her knees.

When Draco saw her, he smirked to himself, fully intent on making fun of her in many different ways. When he was feet away from her, Hermione finally took notice that there was another body present. Looking over at his shoes, she snapped her head up to look at whom had entered her sacred sanctum, her eyes growing. When she looked up at him, Draco suddenly couldn't think of any words to insult her with, with her eyes very red and slightly puffy and her nose shiny from tears and being constantly rubbed raw.

"What do you want, Malfoy? Come up here to make fun of me like usual? Everyone else does, even my friends. If they aren't doing that, they're getting me to do their homework." Hermione paused to look at him. When he made no response, she sighed and shook her head. "Forget it. A Pureblood like you shouldn't have someone lowly like me in their presence. I'll just remove my miserable existence so you can be alone up here." Hermione got up to leave, but as she passed Draco to go to the door, Draco extended his arm from his cloak and grabbed her hand and kept her from reaching the door to the castle.

"Let me go, Malfoy."

"No. I don't think I will."

"Why? So you can make matters worse than they already are?"

"Not at all."

Those three simple words caught her off guard. Turning to him, Hermione gave up trying to release herself from his grip, and just stared at him. 'What's he trying to do?' She asked herself skeptically.

"Sit with me?" Draco asked as he gently tugged her back to the bench she had just vacated. Not having much of a choice in the matter, his grip was much stronger than she was; she sat next to him, as far as possible from him while still staying on the same bench. "What's wrong, Hermione?"

Hermione started. Turning to him, she replied, "What did you just call me? Never mind, that's not important." She turned away, gaining her composure back. "What does it matter to you what happens to be wrong?"

Draco sighed, smiling slightly. "I'm trying to be nice here, Hermione."

"Why?"

"I can't stand to see a girl cry. I've watched my mother cry too many times over the years because of my father."

In that moment, because he had opened that locked door a crack, Draco Malfoy became a little softer in the eyes of Hermione Granger. Scooting closer to him cautiously, Hermione began telling him, as she watched his reactions, about how Ron continued to use guilt on her so that she would do his homework for him, completely oblivious of her feelings for him. Tonight, when he had tried to get her to do his Transfiguration essay, it had been the last straw; she couldn't stand it any more, so she yelled at Ron and ran from the Common room.

"I'm tired of it! I still love them as my friends, but I can't do their homework and my own. It's impossible!"

"Tell them then."

"Tell them what?"

"What you just told me."

"It's not as easy as just telling them, Malfoy." Hermione said, looking away and down at her shoes.

"Draco" Draco said seriously.

"What?" Hermione replied, turning back to the Slytherin.

"Call me Draco, please?"

Shocked, Hermione stuttered, "Oh…O…Okay… Draco."

"So why isn't it that easy, Hermione?"

"Um, oh, I'm sorry. I'm still not used to you saying my first name. I still can't fathom why you still are." Draco smiled when she said that with a smile of her own. "It's not that easy because I don't want to lose them as friends."

"It sounds like, to me, they are only your friends because you do their homework for them. Don't you think that is kind of a crappy reason to be friends?"

"It wasn't always like that though."

"But because you gave in so often to their begging and puppy eyes, they think you will always do it."

Thinking about it, now Hermione really felt like a fool. How could she have allowed this to happen? She couldn't believe she was hearing herself think this to happen? She couldn't believe she was hearing herself think this, but Draco was right. Looking up at him with a new resolve in her heart, Draco smiled with Hermione as they sat there for the rest of the night and talked, Draco doing most of the listening.

Coming out of his memories, Draco stood up from the wall and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, all the way to the Astronomy Tower, hoping against all hopes that Hermione was in the last place he could think of, other than the Forbidden Forest.

Slowing as he reached the door, Draco walked quietly, listening hard. Only having to wait a moment, he heard a soft sniff. Draco opened the door and walked out onto the top of the tower and into the spring air.

Hermione turned to him as he came through the door and smiled sadly as she wrapped her arms tighter about her legs that were folded against her chest. Turning away from him, Hermione placed her head on her knees and sighed.

"I thought you might find me here."

"Hermione…"

"Draco, it's ok. I know I shouldn't have blurted it out. I didn't know when to tell you that I had figured out why I felt the way I did when I saw you two months ago when all this started. I had never been in love before, so I was confused. After thinking about it and asking some of my friends from my old dorm room, I figured it out." Hermione chuckled. "Took me long enough, huh? And to think, they thought I was talking about Ron!"

"Hermione, I…"

"Don't worry about me, Draco. I understand entirely what you're feeling right now."

"No, I don't think you do. I…" He paused to tilt her chin up to look into her eyes, "I love you too!"

"What?"

Draco smiled at the surprised look on Hermione's face. Moving to sit closer to her, Draco looked deep into her hazel eyes with his own blue-silver ones. "I love you too! I know you said you understood, but apparently you didn't quite appreciate the possibilities as well as you thought. You were probably thinking that I wouldn't love you back because of the Pureblood mania my father instilled in me. Now that I'm free of him to be my own person, I finally was able to see the light that I should have seen all those years ago. All I see is you when I'm in that light. That's why I felt myself getting angry every time I saw Weasley flirting with you."

Hermione sat there staring at the man next to her, astonished at Draco's confession. Slowly, a serene smile formed on her lips as Draco moved to capture her in an embrace.

"I love you, Hermione. I always will, from now till forever." Draco whispered as they hugged.

"I love you too, Draco." She replied, her face in his shoulder.

The End.


End file.
